William E. Simon > Quotes

“I watched with incredulity as businessmen ran to the government in every crisis, whining for handouts or protection from the very competition that has made this system so productive. I saw Texas ranchers, hit by drought, demanding government-guaranteed loans; giant milk cooperatives lobbying for higher price supports; major airlines fighting deregulation to preserve their monopoly status; giant companies like Lockheed seeking federal assistance to rescue them from sheer inefficiency; bankers, like David Rockefeller, demanding government bailouts to protect them from their ill-conceived investments; network executives, like William Paley of CBS, fighting to preserve regulatory restrictions and to block the emergence of competitive cable and pay TV. And always, such gentlemen proclaimed their devotion to free enterprise and their opposition to the arbitrary intervention into our economic life by the state. Except, of course, for their own case, which was always unique and which was justified by their immense concern for the public interest.”
― William E. Simon

“There is only one social system that reflects the sovereignty of the individual: the free-market, or capitalist, system.”
― William E. Simon

“One one occasion, I was visiting a young man who was dying of AIDS. His body was pitifully thin, racked with pain. As we prayed together, I looked down on this poor soul and remembered Christ's words-whatsoever you do for the least of my brethren, you have done for me. I've thought about that moment several times since. And I realize that I was not just looking into the face of that young man-I was looking directly into the eyes of Christ. So, one answer to the question "Where and how do we find God?" might be: almost everywhere-in fact, many times right in front of us, if we just open our eyes and hearts to let Him in.”
― William E. Simon

“Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don't vote.”
― William E. Simon